If you recognise the name Joe Hertz, you might be familiar with his debut EP, ‘Night / Daze’ back in 2017, a beautiful compilation of soulful house beats accompanied by a select few of the finest upcoming vocalists, such as Pip Millett – her smooth honey vocals are hypnotising in ‘Goodbye Kisses’, as are Wolfie’s in ‘I Owe You’, James Vickery’s distinctive voice can also be heard on Ritual, an ode to his love.
Fast forward to 2020 and the south London native is now back with his debut album, a continuation of his signature deep house productions paired with a handpicked selection of exceptional melodious chanteurs.
‘Current Blues’ opens with the gentle bass of ‘Colourblind’ and Collard’s melancholic silky falsetto. Another great collaboration with Pip Millett shows off a raspier side to her vocals in ‘I Don’t Swear’. Joe reveals a gentler side and transports us to a serene island with delicate strums on the guitar, accompanied by Dom McAllister’s soulful vocals and YonYon’s sweet Japanese chorus.
Joe has created a timeless record that allows for easy listening any time of the day, again and again.
To celebrate this momentous occasion, Joe also shares his talent as a budding chef with a ramen recipe below, along with a playlist to make the ultimate chicken or pork ramen. Rumour has it that he is also an avid gardener too, it appears that Joe is a jack of all trades and masters whatever he puts his mind to.
Ingredients: (note some are optional as toppings)
Pork &/ Chicken Bones
Soy Sauce
Ginger
Garlic
Bay Leaf
White Onion
Mirin Sake
Bonito Flakes
Soba Noodles
Nori (seaweed sheets)
Shiitake Mushrooms
Sweetcorn
2 Eggs
Spring Onion
Method:
1. Giving It Up – Jones (Joe Hertz Remix)
‘You can get pretty creative with your toppings when it comes to Ramen, think of things that excite you, and that will bring savoury umami flavour. Go wild.’
2. cz – MkGee
‘When boiling the pork and chicken bones, it’s really important to initially boil them for 30 minutes before discarding the water and washing the bones so they are clean. This will help create a broth light and creamy in colour.
‘Be Patient, making the broth is the most time-consuming part and can be done overnight’
‘Get a good knife, it makes cooking so much more fun.’
‘You can prepare things in the days beforehand and just get them out when you’re ready to plate up’
6. Save Yourself First – Dune & Crayon
‘I like to add toppings such as roasted tomato, corn, sautéed Shiitake mushrooms, pan choi, and marinated eggs (Ajitsuke Tamago)’
7. Trippin – Joe Hertz & Ryahn
’Super tender Pork Belly seared and slowly boiled with Char Siu mix of Soy, Mirin, Sake, Sugar, Ginger, Garlic and Onion. I use a technique where I sear the belly in a pan, before transferring it to a pot and covering it with the other ingredients. Loosely cover the pot with a tin foil lid and simmer on medium-low heat until the liquid becomes thick enough that you can scrape it and see the bottom of the pan, then remove to rest.’
‘Adding the overnight pork bone both alongside a kombu and bonito dashi’
9.Next To Me – Jamie Issac & Nosaj Thing
’Layer things up in the order you like, figure out what’s best (probably not egg first..)
‘When cooking noodles for Ramen, I cook for about 1-2 minutes and then submerge in ice-cold water, this helps the noodles stay springy and firm enough that they won’t get soggy when added to the broth’.
11. Footprints – Ezra Collective
‘I used to find adding lots of toppings brought down the temperature of the Ramen when serving, so I like to fill the bowls with boiling water for 10 minutes beforehand and make sure the Broth is boiling hot when you serve it’.
‘Current Blues’ is out now.
